Icy Heart
by RekkaShinen1
Summary: While stealing a rare artifact, Youko Kurama gets seriously injured and is saved by a mysterious girl. Before long, the fox falls in love with his rescuer. But who is this strange maiden and why does she not appear to be what she claims?
1. Thievery

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. ;_;  
  
*Hi everyone! Please enjoy this fic.   
  
**This fic is entirely about Youko Kurama; I might add Suichi in it later but we'll see. So any reference to Kurama is actually Youko Kurama. Eh, I might call him Youko, Kurama, Youko Kurama, kitsune, etc. etc. (you get the point ^^)**  
  
*.::Chapter 1: Thievery::.*  
  
"There it is, Kuronue...." Youko Kurama nodded at his partner who smirked back in reply.   
  
"Grab it and let's bolt." The crow demon swung his trademark pendant back and forth; the red jewel set in the middle of the pendant reminded him of blood. Kurama, near the priceless treasure, quickly yanked the rare Yasane Orb off its stand and gestured to Kuronue to go. All at once, the clanging alarms went off, the loud signal attracting the other demons.   
  
"oh shit! It's the thieves, they've got the Yasane!" A demon yelled, desperately pointing at the escaping fox and crow. A mob behind the demon gave chase but their speed was unmatched to Youko and Kuronue's. Within seconds, the angry crowd lost sight of the bandits; they had literally vanished.  
  
::Back at the lair...  
  
"Feh, easiest job I've ever done." Kurama said in satisfaction, dumping the Yasane Orb on a table. He sat down on a chair, yawning in a bored sort of way. Kuronue came through the doorway and picked up the orb.  
  
"So what does this thing do?" He asked, tossing it in the air and catching it as it fell down.  
  
"Supposed to reveal your thoughts if you touch it...." Kurama replied.  
  
"Really? Nothing's showing up and I'm holding it." Kuronue peered curiously at the orb, turning it sideways and upside down to check for any sign. Youko only smirked in answer.  
  
"Aw, shut up!" Kuronue snapped at his partner, catching the hidden joke.  
  
"Hah. Wasn't there some kind of activation required to use the damn thing?"  
  
Kuronue snapped his fingers. "That's right. Dammit, we forgot to snatch the Yasane Control along with it. Tonight's the full moon; we can only activate the orb this night or we have to wait another 500 years! We have to go back...." He stood up hurriedly but Kurama grabbed the crow's arm.   
  
"Use your head, Kuronue. We just pilfered a priceless TREASURE. Don't you think EVERY demon minion would be out looking for us?!" Kurama's amber eyes narrowed. "If we go out there now, we'd be as good as dead."   
  
"You're right. Fine, we'll wait. But tonight for sure....we go pick up the Yasane Control."  
  
Kurama's eyes glittered as he shot his partner a cold smile. "Banditry tonight...yes. Sounds fun."   
  
::As darkness descended upon Makai....  
  
The thrill of thievery. Kurama loved it. Escaping from a panicking mob into the night, clutching a rare item in your hands, knowing that the robbed would never catch you in the midst of all that chaos....  
  
'This is what I live for....!' thought Youko excitedly. Glancing at his partner running beside him, Kurama knew Kuronue felt the same way. Kuronue, who was snickering at the stupidity of the angry demons despite the fact that the two were literally being hunted.  
  
"Hey Kuronue. I've got something to tell you." Youko said. The two continued their escaping, neatly dodging a poorly set trap on their path.  
  
"What is it?" The crow demon looked questioningly at the kitsune who only smirked slyly in reply.  
  
"Don't drop that." Youko responded, nodding at the Yasane Control tucked under Kuronue's arm.  
  
"Shut up." The two reached a fork in the road and both turned at the same time to look at the other. They nodded and without a moment's hesitation, Kurama took the left path and Kuronue the right.   
  
Youko watched Kuronue's receding back for a second just in case there was a hidden trap and his partner needed help; but when Kuronue disappeared down the right fork with no mishap, Youko began darting down his own path.  
  
'Heh. Just hope Kuronue doesn't lose the thing.' Youko Kurama smiled. He entered a dark forest and hopped along the treetops, striving to quickly reach his lair. 'Hm....now that we've pilfered the Yasane, what should Kuro and I steal next? The rare Kasehi Desire which grants the beholder any wish? The priceless Shime scripture that can ensure instanteous death to whomever its master requests? Or perhaps even the....!'   
  
Kurama's wishful thinking was suddenly interrupted by the sound of pounding feet. "There he is! Get him; it's Youko Kurama!" shouted the head demon of the mob. The crowd was suddenly in front of the startled Kurama. It took only a split second for Kurama to recover from his shock and vanish back into the trees by jumping up.   
  
'How did they get there?! I was way ahead of those idiots....' Kurama wondered briefly, leaping from branch to branch. As he landed onto the nearest tree, his footing gave way and Youko tumbled to the ground. He landed roughly on his back cursing to himself. 'What the....?!'  
  
"Youko Kurama, the famous thief...." boomed a voice. The baffled fox look up and saw the barrel of a gun pointed directly at his face. The gun was held by....a human?! At least, he smelled human; Youko couldn't see the man's face considering it was dark in the forest.   
  
"What do you want, human?!" snarled Kurama. The man let out a soft but harsh chuckle.  
  
"I want your head on a spit, Youko. Did you know the reward for your capture is worth ten times more than any other wanted demon's?" The human raised his head a little, allowing Kurama to catch a glimpse of him. Greed was written all over his face. The man had short greasy brown hair and green eyes that were filled with selfish delight. But Kurama recognized the man at once by his clothing; he donned a uniform made of brown suede, the clothes of a hunter.  
  
'Hm...this could get dangerously interesting. Should I kill him right now?' Youko pondered. 'No, not yet. I'll torture him first....'  
  
"Who the hell are you?!" spat Kurama, attempting to sound innocent.  
  
"Since your life ends about here, I'll tell you. I am Shinju, a demon hunter." The man replied, lowering his rifle to aim better. "But let's not get too chatty. Say your prayers, Youko....!"  
  
Kurama's Death Plant quickly blossomed from his arm and snapped off the hunter's lower left arm with its razor sharp teeth. Shinju let out a scream of agony and fell to his knees, his bloody rifle beside him. Blood poured out from the stump of where his elbow once was. Youko stood up, the alluring Death Plant still wrapped around his arm.   
  
"Foolish human....did you really think you could've captured me? Now you're going to tell me who you work for. Better hurry, my Death Plant hasn't tasted human flesh in days and it grows hungry...."  
  
Shinju appeared terrified out of his wits and kept glancing fearfully at the deadly plant, crimson liquid still leaking from the remainder of his arms. "Mashito, kill him now!" The hunter suddenly screamed, focusing on something behind Youko. Kurama spun around and saw another human figure holding a gun aimed for his head.  
  
"Dammit, you had an accomplice?!" Youko shouted in panicked fury. Mashito quickly aimed at Kurama's silvery hair and his finger pulled the trigger. The fired gun pierced the night with its deafening noise.   
  
*Please review. Thanks for reading! ^__^ 


	2. Angel

Disclaimer: Youko Kurama and Kuronue are not mine...everyone else is.  
  
*Hello! Sorry I haven't updated in a long time ;_; You know the usual, school, stuff. Blah. Oh well here's Chapter 2, enjoy!  
  
--Any reference to Kurama is Youko.  
  
*~Review Response~*  
  
Kuramasgirl556 - Actually it's pretty interchangable. I like using Youko but that's just my preference. ^_^ Thanks for reading!  
  
Elly - Yay! Sure, I've visited her site, it's pretty cool :) I'll talk to you about it sometime, 'k? :)  
  
ChaosZer0 - Thanks a lot! Hope you like this chapter! ^_^  
  
Tala ishtar - Thanks very much. Please join me for the rest of this fan fic! ^__^  
  
lilsoapspudz - Hehe, domo arigatou! I luv writing this fic (although I don't update for a long time ;_; oh well) Thanks! :)  
  
VashnKnives - Thank you for the compliment! Hope you enjoy the rest of this fic :)   
  
*.::Chapter 2: Angel::.*  
  
Before Shinju and Mashito could blink, Youko was gone. "Shit! That demon's a legend; I'm going after him! There's no way I'm gonna let a chance like that slip through my fingers." Mashito quickly reloaded his rifle and glanced at his injured friend who was still moaning and writhing in pain."You're pitiful, Shinju. Stay here. I'll be back with Youko's head soon enough."  
  
Kurama narrowly missed death from the gunshot; he had managed to escape upward into the tree but even his quick reflexes couldn't prevent the bullet from lodging into his shoulder. 'At least it missed my head....' Youko thought. The pain in his shoulder was immense. He grimaced. 'Although that's not much of a relief.'  
  
"Damnit, I gotta get this bandaged up...." Youko spoke to himself outloud. Blood was flowing freely from the wound now, staining Kurama's clothes, his skin, it even somehow got on the ends of his hair. Running along the treetops, Kurama caught the scent of human....and gunpowder. The roar of a gunshot echoed through the air as a bullet whizzed past Youko's head.  
  
"Youko! Here kitsune!" Mashito's spiteful laughter sounded close.  
  
'Feh! What am I, a dog?!' scoffed Kurama. 'But how did he catch up?! Human speed is unmatched to animal spirits'! There's no way he could've-!' Youko screeched to a halt as he reached a clearing. 'What in the-?'  
  
To the fox's shock, a giant puddle of blood covered the grass in the clearing. Shinju, the dead hunter, laid motionless in the lake of his own blood. 'The...the other human....! But-! That means...I've been going in circles-'  
  
A loud sound snapped Youko back to present events, accompanied by an agonizing pain. Mashito lowered the fired gun and leered crudely at Youko, who collapsed against a tree clutching his injured stomach. Mashito had shot him right in one of the most vital areas.  
  
"Son of a..." Kurama choked on the blood filling his mouth and spat it out. "Damn you, bastard....!"  
  
"Haha, and they say you're so clever. Good job; for the past 15 minutes, you've been running in circles in the Forest of Illusions...." Mashito patted his gun fondly. "You're gonna make me a fortune...too bad that fool Shinju won't be here to take part in this. But weaklings die; they serve no other purpose than to make the strong rise to the top."  
  
"Curse you." Youko smirked, almost tauntingly. "For a human, you talk too much. And even if all weaklings were to be eradicated, you and your entire group of hunters would be wiped out."  
  
Mashito's face darkened into a scowl. "Shut up!" He rammed the edge of his rifle into Youko's side, causing him to spit up more blood. "I'm not the fallen one hacking up my own blood now, am I?"  
  
Kurama's smile grew wider with malice as he chuckled amusedly. "Then again, I'M not the one purposely hitting my victim's wounds to handicap him furthur now, am I?" Mashito frowned deeply and raised his gun again to hit Youko but paused when he remembered the fox's comment made before.  
  
"Heh. I see through your little idea. Yer stalling the moment when I blow your head off. It's too late though." The barrel of the rifle was again pointed at Kurama's stomach. "Goodbye."   
  
'No...! I'm paralyzed...can't move...!' Mashito shot 2 more bullets into Kurama's stomach. 'Argh......!' The pain in Youko's side was immense; his head began to droop. He raised his eyes to the hunter once more, to glare at him with a furious rage when all of a sudden, his eye caught sight of a being in the distance.   
  
A maiden with long blue-green hair was levitating high above the ground, held afloat by a pair of large white feathery wings sprouting from her back. She was dressed in a flowing silky blue dress, the edges fluttering gently in the Makai breeze. As the girl turned her gaze on the semi-conscious Kurama, the fox noticed from far away her glittering silver eyes, a rare eye color for a demon.  
  
'Those wings....an angel? So....my life does end here....' Youko thought bitterly before giving in to the pain. Before he passed out though, Kurama could've sworn he heard a beautiful singing voice in the distance. A voice that was sweet, haunting and sad all at the same time....  
  
Youko saw nothing but darkness. 'Oh damn...where am I? It's....it's s-so cold....! Have I died? Already? So that's it....?'  
  
He rubbed his hands together at the hope of creating some warmth, any at all. It was useless. "Why the hell is it so cold?!" Youko asked outloud; his voice sounded small in the vast ocean of darkness. Suddenly the kitsune remembered his partner.  
  
'Ah! Kuronue! Whatever happened to him?! I wonder....did those damn hunters get him too?' Kurama felt horrible now; it was as if the darkness around him was sucking up any hope he had, leaving him vulnerable and discouraged.   
  
"Kurama...." whispered a familiar voice.   
  
"Kuronue...? Don't tell me you...died?" He said quickly. A ghostlike image of Kuronue appeared. The crow demon was smiling like he just stole the greatest treasure in Makai.  
  
"Nah. Of course not, you idiot. I wouldn't go down that easily...." Kuronue extended out a pale hand to his partner. "Come on, let's get the hell outta here..." He began floating back gently, away from Kurama. Youko tried running after him but he couldn't; he was rooted to the spot. "No! Kuronue-!" He threw out his arm toward his retreating partner. "Wait! Dammit!"  
  
The crow continued to drift away. "See you, Youko Kurama...."   
  
"Kuronue! You just going to leave me here?!" Kurama yelled anxiously. Goddammit, why couldn't he move?!  
  
"Kill...! Youko....must kill...! Kill Youko!" murmured several creepy voices. Youko looked down at his feet and gasped in horror. Multiple severed hands were reaching out of the darkness and grabbing hold of his legs. "Kill....Youko Kurama....! Must...eat flesh...!" The hands were truly disgusting; they were covered with blood and scarred all over.   
  
"Ugh! Get me out of here, Kuronue! Wait for me!" Youko yelled helplessly.   
  
Suddenly Kurama's eyes opened and he sat up hastily. A worried face popped up beside him. "You're finally awake, eh Sleeping Beauty?" Kuronue joked, moving away from the fox to sit down. Pure relief was shown plainly on the crow demon's face.  
  
"What the hell? Where am I?" Kurama asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.  
  
"Don't tell me you have amnesia!" Kuronue threw his hands up in defeat and sighed. "Ok. Your name is Yo-u-ko Ku-ra-ma; you are a fox spirit. I am Ku-ro-nu-e, a crow de-mon. Do you un-der-stan-d?" He spoke so slowly, it was like talking to an infant. "And a de-mon is...."  
  
"Dammit, I know what a demon is!" Kurama shouted in confusion. He looked around and found he was in his and Kuronue's lair.   
  
"Oh good, you didn't forget. Sorry, wasn't in the mood to babysit...." Kuronue shrugged, still not getting why Youko was so frenzied.  
  
"Kuronue! Tell me what happened! Last I remember, I was dead!" The fox demanded.  
  
"Whoa there. You died?! Since when?!"  
  
"I-I was shot....by a hunter! He and another came after me and I was running around in circles....in the Forest of Illusions!" Kurama's mind was slowly remembering that occurence and piecing it together like a puzzle. "I killed one but the other cornered me...he put 3 bullets in my stomach, ugh. And 1 in my shoulder...." Kurama explained, looking at his bandaged up shoulder blade. He felt his stomach; it was bandaged up tightly too.   
  
"And? What else?" Kuronue looked interested in what happened as he urged his partner to go on.  
  
"I-I'm not sure. I think I might've passed out or....or died. All I remember is this darkness, it was so cold...."  
  
Kuronue breathed a sigh of relief. "That's all? You probably went unconscious....Kurama, you got me scared. I was waiting here for you to arrive. Imagine my horror when Yume shows up dragging you, all covered in blood and stuff...."  
  
"Wait, wait. Yume....? Who's Yume?" Youko glanced at his partner, obviously baffled.  
  
"Oh! I see now." Kuronue left the room for a second and came back in leading a mysterious girl. "Kurama, this is Yume. I think she saved your life...." There was something terribly familiar about the girl. Long turquoise hair, blue dress....  
  
Her silver eyes widened as she stared at the kitsune curiously. Youko recognized those eyes.  
  
"You! You're that angel....!"  
  
*Good? Boring? Please tell. Oh yeah, name pronounciations. Yume = (You-meh) Anything else? Hmm....please review! ^__^ 


End file.
